Upgrade advice needed

Protagonist

Distinguished
Aug 14, 2010
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18,510
Hi, I'm Joshua.

These are my PC's specs:

CPU: Pentium 4 3.00 ghz
RAM: 1GB DDR2 667 mhz
MOBO: HP DX7300
GPU: ATI HD4350 512mb gddr2
HDD: 250GB Seagate
PSU: 360WATTS HP Branded
LCD: 17" Dell

Now, i've been saving money for an upgrade, i want you to suggest me the best possible upgrade.

I want to upgrade either my CPU or RAM, as my brother has promised me to give me his current graphics card (hd4650) as soon as he buys a new graphics card for himself.

Everything else is fine for me, so i don't wanna upgrade anything else.

I can upgrade only one thing right now, So should i upgrade my processor or ram first? I'll upgrade the other thing a few months later.

The PC's Primary use is Low Resolution Gaming. (i got a 17" LCD anyway) Keep in mind that i play the latest games, i'm currently playing RFG on my current PC, and even on the lowest resolution at lowest settings, it lags.

For Processor, i'm thinking about either a 3.6 ghz P4 or a dual core between 1.6 to 2.2 ghz.

For RAM, i'll add another 1GB DDR2 667 mhz so that'll make it 2GB DDR2 667 mhz.

Which upgrade will cause a more noticeable/pleasing difference?
 

shoyriazu

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Aug 15, 2010
13
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18,510
Well, assuming you'll be playing games, there was a review on this site stating that a high clock dual core would be best for playing games, but with low res gaming you should be fine with a dual core upgrade. It'll have an impact not only on your games but on Windows in general.

Only problem I see right now is that you might need the extra RAM anyways. I wouldn't go on a dual core without at least 2GB RAM.

My $0.02